Issue 1 Spring 2022

Jessica and Noam were not alone in their struggles. In 2020, it was
determined that over half of the students in Boston University screened
positive for anxiety and/or depression. In addition, over 83% of students in
the same study declared their damaged mental state had caused a clear
adverse effect on their academic performance. However, long-term
physiological disorders have also arisen as mental health statuses have
dropped. Per a survey conducted on over 274 establishments, there has
been an 88% consensus on the spike of self-injury, eating disorders, sexual
misconduct, substance abuse, and learning disabilities over the past five
years.
So what solutions can be provided to those struggling with loneliness
and mental health issues? On the brighter side of the ongoing mental health
struggle, Sarah Ketchen Lipton, a mental health researcher at Boston
University, shared “We [mental health researchers] know mental health
stigma is going down… People are being more open, having more dialogue
about it, and we can better identify that people are struggling.” Counseling
centers and mental health programs are becoming more necessary as time
goes on, and as a pleasant surprise, many kids take advantage of these
resources to better themselves.
"Having a therapist helped, and so did generally having people to talk to,” said Gal Cherki,
Scarsdale alumni and current student at Rochester University, when asked about his solution to
mental health issues. He added, “A lot of people just refuse to take care of themselves because they
feel like they don’t have time to. However, you can always make the time, even if it means stopping
doing something you want to do. You have to be proactive about your mental health, no one is going
to fix it for you.”
Relying on outreach programs and counseling is only one step to achieving a higher standard of
life for college students. Real progress in adjusting to college life comes through learning how to
take care of oneself in this uncharted environment. Noam also shared, “the easiest thing to forget is
to take care of your body with sleep, exercise, and food. Figuring out that stuff is a big step, and then
learning how to take pressure off of yourself and think rationally about things is important.”
College and high school experiences are extraordinarily different. After going through ACTs, SATs,
college applications, and the moving process, actual college life can seem intimidating, especially to
freshmen dealing with their new environments. However, the most important thing to remember is
that struggle is normal, and that taking care of oneself and reaching out for help whenever needed is
pivotal to avoiding the spiral into unhealthy habits. It takes time to adjust, but once a happy medium
is found, the experiences earned in college can last a lifetime.
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